Did You Know These Startling Facts?

*      ? of humanity has no access to drinking water
*      Average water-usage rates:
        - In USA => 600 liters per person per day 
        - In India => 135 liters per person per day
*      In India, the greatest consumption comes from flushing the toilet with drinking water! (40 liters/person/day)
*      In Chennai, a roof, 15sq.m in area, will be able to harvest enough rainwater (144000 liters/yr) for drinking demands of a family of 4 for a year!

      The tap in my kitchen was dripping and I could feel each drop as if it were stinging my conscience. Incredible what an hour on the phone could do! I was talking to Mr. Ram Krishnan, one of the leaders in the Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) movement in India. A group of volunteers belonging to the AID Water Cell participated in a web based RWH workshop organized by Mr. Krishnan. Ram Krishnan has traveled extensively all over India learning and spreading RWH practices. He is one of the prime movers behind the Akash-Ganga RWH initiative that seeks to spread awareness about the great necessity for water conservation techniques.

      India, because of its peculiar weather patterns, is more at the mercy of rainfall than many other parts of the world. India's rivers, forests, mountains and monsoon rainfall are linked in a complex balance that is being increasingly pushed out of kilter by the rising consumption of water by the expanding urban areas, burgeoning industries and unsustainable agriculture. Today many cities are entirely dependent on tanker transported water. Bore wells dot the landscape in any village, town or city in India and are getting ever deeper. Traditional structures for dealing with water scarcity have been lost and the water table has fallen alarmingly in large parts of the country. Rain water harvesting seeks to reverse this trend.

      Basically, RWH tries to return to the soil the rainwater which would otherwise just be run-off and/or try to store this rainwater for use later. Resurrection of traditional water harvesting structures like bawri's and oorani's by local villagers and installation of check dams across small streams in low-rainfall areas has increased the height of the water table.

      What are ponds and wells in villages become inexpensive, simple roof installations and 'reverse' bore wells in cities. In urban areas structures for rainwater harvesting are slowly finding more acceptance and appreciation through active info-campaigns run by agencies like Akash-Ganga in Chennai. In Tamil Nadu, RWH structures have made the water table rise in some parts by as much as 4 feet.

      While RWH has had success in many areas, there is still much to do, says Mr. Krishnan. The most effective method, according to him, is in getting people to realize the gravity of the situation and to take a community approach to this problem. And this is where we come in. We can encourage friends and family in India to install RWH structures and help in educating people about the direness of the situation.

    When I take the few steps to tighten the tap in my kitchen and stop it from dripping I am reminded of those who make a 10 mile trek to collect a bucketful of water. It is time to better the world, one raindrop at a time!